Friday 29 July 2011

Planning ahead for winter and spring

This is now the time of year when you have to start thinking about winter and spring on the allotment so over the last few days I have been sowing seeds for said months. I have sown some florence fennel to grow over winter inside the tunnel, last year I grew this outdoors and sowed it on the longest day as it is prone to bolting if done before. I did not know it could be grown inside tunnel as a winter crop until I read about it in a book that came as a gift with my tunnel from first, I wll keep you posted on results. I have also sown Swiss chard and rainbow chard in modules also for growing overwinter in tunnel along with lambs lettuce. Outside crops I have sown in modules are Savoy cabbage January king3, scarlet kale and cauliflower all year round. Must have a look at dobies of devon website tonight so I can order more seeds I would like more kale, spring greens and another variety of cabbage.

Winter is not a time for plots to lay bare and I truly believe you should have something in the ground 365 days a year, I am not saying every bit of space on our allotment is used all year round but most of the plot is productive even during winter months. Everyone is different and have differing views but that is mine I hate to see so many bare patches of ground on allotment sites during winter months. Areas that are not being used will have a dose of fresh chicken and duck poo which will be broken down ovewinter and ready for planting in next spring.

I will be taking the camera back down the plot in the next few days and hope to take some pictures of the best bits of Stapleton Allotments and show you all my favourite other plots and what other people are doing and growing. I will leave you with a photo of Harry and his sunflowers taken by John last year.

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